Microspores Evolution and Ontogeny


Book Description

An understanding of the processes of plant reproduction is increasingly important in the exploitation of plant resources. Microspore formation is a major event in the life cycles of land plants, allowing the transition from diploid sporophyte generation to the haploid gametophyte generation, and varies greatly between taxa in the diversity of processes involved. Despite the wealth of information available, there are very few sources which bring together the results of research work on the reproduction in all the major plant groups.**Microspores fills this gap by reviewing microsporogenesis from a systematic and evolutionary perspective in groups ranging from algae to angiosperms. Special chapters focus on structure, function, cell and molecular processes, and potential biotechnological applications of plant spores and pollen. The result is an up-to-date guide to the applications of modern techniques in the classic area of botany.**This work bridges several disciplines to provide a coherent and authoritative account which will be essential reading for research scientists and lecturers in botany, evolution, ultrastructure, reproductive and developmental biology, and palynology.




Microspores


Book Description

An understanding of the processes of plant reproduction is increasingly important in the exploitation of plant resources. Microspore formation is a major event in the life cycles of land plants, allowing the transition from diploid sporophyte generation to the haploid gametophyte generation, and varies greatly between taxa in the diversity of processes involved. Despite the wealth of information available, there are very few sources which bring together the results of research work on the reproduction in all the major plant groups.**Microspores fills this gap by reviewing microsporogenesis from a systematic and evolutionary perspective in groups ranging from algae to angiosperms. Special chapters focus on structure, function, cell and molecular processes, and potential biotechnological applications of plant spores and pollen. The result is an up-to-date guide to the applications of modern techniques in the classic area of botany.**This work bridges several disciplines to provide a coherent and authoritative account which will be essential reading for research scientists and lecturers in botany, evolution, ultrastructure, reproductive and developmental biology, and palynology.




The Evolution of Plant Physiology


Book Description

Coupled with biomechanical data, organic geochemistry and cladistic analyses utilizing abundant genetic data, scientific studies are revealing new facets of how plants have evolved over time. This collection of papers examines these early stages of plant physiology evolution by describing the initial physiological adaptations necessary for survival as upright structures in a dry, terrestrial environment. The Evolution of Plant Physiology also encompasses physiology in its broadest sense to include biochemistry, histology, mechanics, development, growth, reproduction and with an emphasis on the interplay between physiology, development and plant evolution. - Contributions from leading neo- and palaeo-botanists from the Linnean Society - Focus on how evolution shaped photosynthesis, respiration, reproduction and metabolism. - Coverage of the effects of specific evolutionary forces -- variations in water and nutrient availability, grazing pressure, and other environmental variables




Genetic control of self-incompatibility and reproductive development in flowering plants


Book Description

Plant reproductive biology has undergone a revolution during the past five years, with the cloning, sequencing and localization of the genes important in reproduction. These advantages in plant molecular biology have led to exciting applications in plant biotechnology, including the genetic engineering of male sterility and other reproductive processes. This book presents an interesting and contemporary account of these new developments from the scientists in whose laboratories they have been made. The chapters focus on two areas: the molecular biology of self-incompatibility, which is the system of self-recognition controlled by the S-gene and related genes; and the cellular and molecular biology of pollen development and genetic dissection of male sterility. Some chapters feature Arabidopsis, with its unique genetic system. Reproduction is vital for seed production in crop plants, and this book presents new approaches to manipulate plant breeding systems for the 21st century.




International Review of Cytology


Book Description

International Review of Cytology




Evolution and Diversification of Land Plants


Book Description

A modern approach to understanding the evolution and diversification of land plants, one of the most exciting areas of plant systematics. It consists of three sections - origin and diversification of primitive land plants; origin and diversification of angiosperms; speciation and mechanisms of diversification - each section corresponding to a major area in plant evolution. In each case, data from molecular, morphological, and paleontological approaches are presented, backed by recent progress and new findings, together with proposals for future research. A guide to the latest in plant systematics, heightening awareness of prospective future problems.




Diversity and Evolutionary Biology of Tropical Flowers


Book Description

A unique account of the structure, biology and evolution of tropical flowering plants.




Fertilization in Higher Plants


Book Description

Biotechnological methods are opening new ways in plant breeding. They allow novel strategies for improving crop productivity and quality, especially in the agrofood sector. The molecular mechanisms underlying these biotechnological approaches are presented here. Topics included are: pollen development, pollen tube growth, macrosporogenesis and fertilization and the effects of pesticides on sexual plant reproduction. Fertilization in higher plants is a complex process consisting of two events, the fusion of the egg with one sperm cell resulting in the diploid zygote, and the fusion of embryosac nuclei with another sperm cell, leading to a triploid endosperm. This "double fertilization" is preceded by the pollination process and a long lasting interaction between the dipoid pistil and the haploid pollen tube (progamic phase). Fertilization of flowering plants results in the formation of seeds and fruits, our basic food supply.




The Tapetum


Book Description

The anther tapetum, present in all land plants, is a highly specialized, transient tissue surrounding the (micro-)spores and/or pollen grains during their development. Any tapetum malfunction causes male sterility. The exact knowledge of tapetum form and function therefore is indispensable not only for basic research, but also and especially in plant breeding and plant genetics. In fourteen contributions by reknown experts, a comprehensive account of the various characters and functions of the tapetum is provided, covering the areas of cytology, cytophysiology, biochemistry, tapetum development and function.




Evolutionary Biology


Book Description

This volume is the twenty-ninth in this series, which includes twenty-eight numbered volumes and one unnumbered supplement. The editors continue to focus on critical reviews, commentaries, original papers, and controversies in of the reviews range from anthropology to evolutionary biology. The topics molecular evolution, population biology to paleobiology. Recent volumes have included a broad spectrum of chapters on such subjects as population biology, comparative morphology, paleobiology, molecular phy logenetics, developmental evolutionary biology, systematics, and the history of evolutionary biology. The editors continue to solicit manuscripts in all areas of evolutionary biology. Manuscripts should be sent to anyone of the following: Max K. Hecht, Department of Biology, Queens College of the City University of New York, Flushing, New York 11367; Ross 1. MacIntyre, Department of Genetics and Development, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853; or Michael T. Clegg, Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, University of California, Riverside, California 92521. vii Contents 1. Homology and Embryonic Development Brian K. Hall Introduction .............................................. 1 A Brief History of the Concept of Homology ................. 1 von Baer's Laws ........................................ 4 Germ Layers and Ernst Haeckel ............................ 6 Embryology and Homology ............................... 7 Homology: An Unsolved Problem ............................ 8 Latent Homology ........................................ 8 Serial Homology ........................................ 9 Common Origins and Common Inductions ..................... 12 Mechanisms of Gastrulation ............................... 13 Origin of the Alimentary Canal ............................ 14 Origin of Germ Cells . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 . . . . . . . . . . Induction of Meckel's Cartilage ............................ 15 Induction of the Lens of the Eye ........................... 16 Development of Internal and External Cheek Pouches .......... 18 Selection for Increased Tail Length in Mice .................. 19 Regeneration and Homology .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 . . . . . . .